Migration Minister: Sweden cannot receive 140,000 refugees this year

2:09 min

Published torsdag 3 mars 2016 kl 19.47

The Minister in charge of migration and justice issues, Morgan Johansson (Social Democrat), said today in Parliament that Sweden would not manage to take in 140,000 asylum-seekers this year, reports Swedish Radio News.

That figure is from a recent forecast from the Swedish Migration Agency, which gave three scenarios - one involving 70,000 people coming to Sweden to seek asylum this year, another involving 100,000, and the third involving 140,000. Only this weekend, the leadership of the Social Democrats' coalition partners, the Greens, had said that Sweden could manage with 140,000 asylum-seekers.

"If 100,000 come this year, then we can just manage the housing situation," Johansson said in answer to a question from the conservative Moderate MP Johan Forsell.

Johansson said that if more asylum-seekers came, approaching the neighborhood of 140,000, "then our housing would be filled up already probably by the end of the summer."

Moreover, Johansson said that he is prepared to take further measures if it looks like more than 100,000 refugees will be coming to Sweden this year.

"This government has shown that we have been prepared to take measures and sometimes make pretty difficult decisions so that we can get control over the situation," Johansson added, citing new legislation and ID checks.